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Skoolology: Growth by Design

74 members • $7/month

18 contributions to Ministry AI
Do Ministries Need to Build Community?
The more churches I visit, the more convinced I become that the biggest problem facing most of them is a lack of community. There is no real sense of belonging. Somewhere along the way, many churches became a place to visit rather than a space to belong or a hub for the neighborhood around them. Every thriving church I have seen has a palpable sense of "we are in this together." People show up for one another, and they work side by side to help others. Every struggling church I have seen has very little of that. Which brings me to something I have been praying about, and I want to be honest with you about it. If I really want to help ministries, is teaching AI the best way to do it? If I help a pastor at a broken church put together a nicer bulletin, what have I actually accomplished? Is that what God is asking of me? This hit me hard today. One of the membership platforms I use just rolled out support for languages beyond English, which means a Spanish speaker can now be folded into an English-speaking group online without any friction at all. I keep turning that over in my mind. How much good could come from simply helping churches connect their members to each other? If they could get community right, how much could AI then amplify that? I realize I am rambling, but I wanted to say that I appreciate you being part of this community. I know things have not gone as smoothly as either of us would have liked, for a number of reasons. All of which I take responsibility for. So I am asking for your prayers while I work out where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to be teaching. Sincerely, Todd Thornton
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More Ministry. Less Busywork. A Fresh Start Together
I don’t want to assume I know what you need. I want to ask you directly. For the next few weeks, the courses inside this community will be temporarily hidden while we have an honest conversation about what churches and ministry leaders need most from AI. AI is moving fast. People are moving beyond simple prompts and individual AI agents. Some are now building complete systems that help manage communication, content, planning, follow-up, administration, and more. That may sound exciting. It may also sound overwhelming. Not every church needs a complicated system. Not every ministry needs the newest tool. The goal is not more AI. The goal is more time for ministry. I also want to apologize. I have faced health issues over the past several months. My wife and other family members have faced health challenges as well. Because of that, I have not shown up here as consistently as I intended. I also know I need to do a better job of organizing this community and making it easier for you to find and use what matters most. I have spent some time thinking carefully about what a healthy, helpful, long-term community should look like. Now I want to build the next version with you, not just for you. My goal is still clear. I want to help churches and ministry leaders use AI wisely to save time, reduce repetitive work, communicate more clearly, and reach more people. Our new direction can be summed up in four words: More Ministry. Less Busywork. Before I rebuild the courses, resources, and community structure, I want to hear from you. What ministry task takes more time than it should? And what would you most like AI to help you do faster, better, or more consistently? Your answers will help shape what comes next.
1 like • Jul 16
@Michel Pauw Thanks. I hope you are doing well and reaching lots of people with your translation work.
1 like • Jul 24
@Joyce Tyson Thank you for the kind comments!
Welcome. Your First Step Starts With "One" Word.
Hey, I'm Todd Thornton, and I am so glad you're here. Ministry looks different for everyone. Whether you're on staff, volunteering, or just trying to make a difference, AI can help you do it better. Three things I want you to know right up front. 1) Don't just lurk. Post (1) one word in the comments. An AI tool you use, something you want to accomplish, a hidden talent. Anything. I will personally respond to every single one with my best idea for how I can help. If I'm wrong, the egg is on my face and some responses might be hilarious. 2) This is a "public" community. Everything here is visible, searchable, and shareable, even to non-members. That's on purpose. We want people to find this content. But if that's not for you, no hard feelings at all. 3) This is a link-free thread. Leave the URLs out and bring the real you. We want your thoughts, your questions, and your experience, not your bookmarks. If you are not a member you won't be able to comment or track completion in courses, but if you find something you like, just grab the link and share it freely. Posts, course pages, anything. We believe in full transparency. This is just who we are. If you're still in, let's take it one step at a time. Step one is simple. Drop only (1) ONE word in the comments below and let's see how creative Todd can get with his response.
Welcome. Your First Step Starts With "One" Word.
0 likes • Jun 29
@Billy Derksen I owe you an apology. I thought I replied to your word and didn't. I think my beginnings of pneumonia a few days ago affected my memory! As a result, I'm deviating from my normal short snarky comment and have created a framework with the letters of your word. Intrigued has a curious, open-hearted feel to it, and for you I am building this one around the roles that matter most: husband, father of four, and proud Canadian. Here is your INTRIGUED framework for being a good father, husband, and Canadian: I — Involved: Show up for the small moments, the school runs, the bedtimes, the ordinary evenings. Being there is most of the job, and your family feels it. N — Nurturing: Tend to the people under your roof, your wife and your four kids, so each one knows they are safe, supported, and loved. T — Tender: Strength and gentleness belong together. A soft word and a patient tone teach your children more than any lecture ever could. R — Reliable: Be the steady one your family can count on. When your word holds, your home feels secure. I — Invested: Pour yourself into your marriage and your kids the way you would anything you truly care about, because this is the thing that matters most. G — Grateful: Carry gratitude for your family and your country. A thankful heart has a way of making a good life feel even fuller. U — Unifying: Be the one who brings everyone together, around the table and through the rough patches. A family, like a country, is stronger united. E — Easygoing: Keep a sense of humor and a long fuse. With four kids, the days that go sideways are often the ones you will laugh about later. D — Dependable: Be the rock at home and a good neighbor beyond it, that quiet, decent, lend-a-hand spirit that Canadians are known for.
0 likes • Jul 13
@Vicky B Curious is a strong word for ministry work, since real spiritual growth tends to start the same way learning does: with a genuine question instead of a demand for certainty. Since Curious repeats the letter U, I gave each occurrence its own distinct word. Here is your CURIOUS framework for ministry: C — Compassionate: Meeting people in their doubts with care rather than correction is often what opens the door to real faith conversations. U — Understanding: Taking time to know where someone actually is in their journey, not where you assume they should be, builds the trust that ministry depends on. R — Relational: Faith tends to grow through relationship first and content second. A well-built site or funnel only matters once someone feels genuinely known. I — Inviting: A low-pressure, open door, whether that's a WordPress landing page or a simple conversation, makes it easier for someone curious to take a first step. O — Ongoing: Discipleship isn't a single touchpoint. Nurturing leads through consistent content and follow-up mirrors the patience real spiritual growth requires. U — Uplifting: Every piece of content, every email, every engagement, should leave someone a little more hopeful than it found them. S — Serving: Ministry, like a good SaaS tool eventually becomes, works best when it's built to genuinely help people rather than just capture their attention.
If I could build one thing for you, what would it be?
There are no right or wrong answers, but I need an updated list of needs, and I'll see what we I can crank out the rest of this week. Drop your answer/need in the comments.
0 likes • Jul 6
@Mike Severson I am glad it worked for you. If you want me to improve it with other choices let me know. We can tweak any direction you want. I have a call schedule in 20 minutes if you want to jump on and discuss possibilities.
1 like • Jul 7
@Mike Severson No worries. I went ahead and ran some updates but need to test them more before I upload. I'll do it so you can use the same link over again if you need to.
Church Service Without a Single Scripture Reference?
I recently watched a "special flower" church service that didn't read or mention a single Bible reference. This was their normal Sunday service, not some one-off event. I think they might do this twice a year in place of their "normal" service schedule. I actually rewatched the recording to make sure I hadn't missed one. I'll admit, that's a really interesting church strategy. I'll say more about this later, but my mind jumped back to one service where I afterward counted 66 Bible verses read aloud during the service. My feeling is that the right number should land somewhere well above 0 and well below 66. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸? --- Most pastors don't track how many verses get discussed during a service, and that includes more than just the sermon. AI offers an easy way to count them. Take the audio or video of the entire service and have AI generate a transcript, assuming your streaming service doesn't already produce one automatically. Then ask the AI to identify every Bible verse in the transcript and show the exact verse along with its location in the Bible. It's a simple way to keep a running total.
1 like • Jun 30
@Charlie Schaffer I thought about sharing a link so everyone could watch, but it would just eat up 40 minutes of your life you could better use to spread the word.
2 likes • Jun 30
@Dr. Robert Gault Agreed. I never thought one of the church services would have zero scripture references. And I'm smack dab in the bible belt.
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Todd Thornton
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261 points to level up
@todd-thornton
Call me a what-works-ologist. I find what actually works with AI and on Skool, then teach Christians and leaders to apply it, step-by-step.

Online now
Joined Mar 12, 2026
Kentucky
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